Case Study - Dave & Buster's

Supporting Store Rollouts amid Record Growth for Dave & Buster’s

Echo managed all truckload and LTL shipments, streamlining the entire process with better analytics.

Fueled by its growing number of locations nationwide, Dave & Buster's is the go-to chain for family-friendly dining, arcade games, and virtual reality. The process to open a new store is complex and requires dedicated coordination and organization. Typically, for each new store opening, eighteen 53' trailers originating from different pickup locations must be managed in a short timeframe. Partnering with Echo gave Dave & Buster's time to focus on big-picture goals. 

Boosting Operations with Reliable Shipping Practices

New store rollouts involve last-minute delays and changes to the original plan, requiring flexibility and proactive solutions. As a trusted partner, Echo leveraged its analytics capabilities to help:

  • Navigate the driver shortage with access to large and small independent carriers
  • Reduce critical pain points connected to billing
  • Book and manage shipments using Echo's proprietary technology
  • Mitigate timeline delays with ease
  • Process shipping documents in a time-sensitive manner
  • Minimize the cost impact of complicated shipping needs

In addition to securing reliable transportation, Echo oversaw Dave & Buster's logistics timeline to ensure shipments with multiple stops were accounted for along the way and reached their destination. This enabled Dave & Buster's to stay on schedule so that toys and new game rollouts were ready for each store opening.

Echo manages Dave & Buster's shipments as if they were their own shipments, cognizant of costs and meeting deadlines.

Richard Lipka, Assistant Vice President of Purchasing, Dave & Buster's

Prioritizing Performance to Influence Growth

Intimate knowledge of the transportation industry allowed Echo to provide best-in-class support to Dave & Buster's growing business and lower the cost of inbound freight. Echo successfully provided truckload and LTL services for nine new store openings, including three consecutive openings at the beginning of the year, in a very short timeframe.

The foundation of trust between Dave & Buster’s and Echo is really the basic element of our relationship, and if trust is not there, then it’s not going to work. In the 4+ years that I’ve been working with Echo, they have never come close to breaking that trust. In fact, they’ve probably done nothing more than build that trust every year.

Richard Lipka, Assistant Vice President of Purchasing, Dave & Buster's